The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

We wanted to check out Cafe Medina and cross another cafe off the ever-growing list. Having Erica along has really helped me out with the reviews. Due to the cafe hours we couldn’t make it on a weekday. So we decided to hit up the joint for some Saturday morning brunch and we were not the only ones, it took 15 minute to get seated.

The wait time was dealt with efficiently, friendly and before we knew it we were seated with menus and a drink order. I love it when a plan comes together.

Erica suggested I get the lavender latte and she would try the lavender mocha. Mine arrived with some nice latte art, a decent amount of foam on top and the milk that wasn’t over heated. The touch of lavender was a nice complement to the latte. I have never been a big fan of flavoured drinks as I don’t like to mask the coffee flavour, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the mellow tones of lavender added to the drink. It was not over powering at all. This drink would certainly complement any weekend brunch.

“Number one coffee since I have been to Vancouver,” Erica said with her hands expressively pointing at the table. “Wow. It had enough sweetness with the chocolate and the milk was smooth and creamy!”

The Layout

When you enter Medina you see a large wall on the North side made of brick reaching to the top of the open ceiling and a bar running down the South side, making this one long and skinny cafe. The serving staff don’t have an easy time getting around, but one waitress made a great joke of it when she had to step over my laptop bag.

“You’re really not making this any easier on me,” she said, jokingly.

“This is a really nice brick building, very open and it is set up well for a place that is so small,” said Erica after observing her environment.

We also had some food. Erica loved her food so much she actually wanted to marry her friccasse and the skillet it came in. The staff had to separate her from the skillet. I had a waffle and a mixed berry that was pretty awesome, but only meant as a snack.

Erica also wanted to have a waffle, but felt the experience would be better served on a return visit, so she could savour every bit.

“The whole coffee and waffle thing is such a good idea,” said Erica.

I was introduced to Cafe Medina last year and agreed with Erica, they do a nice job of both the waffle and presentation. I concluded our visit with an Americano which was perfectly extracted and had decent amount of cream on the top.

There is wireless available and the password is at the bar, but weekend mornings aren’t the best for doodling. I had more than a few eyes on me as I made a couple notes on my laptop. I did see a number of people with coffee to go coming out of the cafe. The cafe uses beans from 49th parallel roasters so if you’re in the area and need something better than the waves or fatburger (but we really knew you weren’t going to go for coffee at a place called fatburger) then this is the best option in the immediate area.

In my brunch experiences when you find an awesome breakfast joint, you get an awesome meal, but run-of-the-mill coffee. Rarely have I found the two together. I can honestly say that every visit to this funky cafe called Medina has been a pleasant experience and I would come back any time.

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Cafe Called Medina
Drinks that was ordered: 8 oz. lavender latte, 12 oz. lavender mocha, 12 oz. Americano
Discount on to-go cup: Didn’t ask
Barista Skill: Top Notch
Barista friendliness: Very friend and welcoming
Website: www.medinacafe.com
Address: 556 Beatty Street, Vancouver

We had a crew of about 10 people arrive outside Bikes on the Drive for the East Van Coffee Tour. Waiting for the crew to show up I got a text from my editor Stef that she was in bed with the flu, so no live blogging, or twitter updates. Unfortunately for Stef she couldn’t try out a Tree and take over the coverage of the tour. With a group of about 10 people we took off down the hill to Bump and Grind for the first coffee of the day. Fellow coffee aficionado Evan McGraw was able to take up the task of the tour photographer so I could keep focused on the tour.

Bump and Grind
We arrived at Bump and Grind and I enjoyed some espresso and ice cream. I got this off of the menu item from Bump and Grind and it hit the spot on a warm summer morning. It’s available through out the summer months. For the next tour it would be awesome to have someone to look over the bikes that way it won’t take us forever to lock up the bikes each and every time	Espresso and Ice Cream at Bump and Grind
Prado Cafe
Arriving at Prado Cafe it was a busy as ever, with Amy and Sara behind the bar we were able to get our drinks with out much trouble. Since I was well aware of what being over-caffeinated can do, I decided to go for a decaf macchiato. I was amazed by the absolute quality of the decaf it was by far one of the best drinks of the day. I gave a little talk about the cafe and the modifications of the La Marzocco FB-70 that Amy York made.	Espresso at Prado
JJ Bean Mainstreet
With barely a seat to be found at Prado we finished our drinks and took off for Main Street and JJ Bean. The 10th avenue bike route provided us with some shade from the blaring sun. Arriving at JJ Bean we found barista Robert Csar behind the counter working up a sweat. Putting him through his paces, Evan had a great photo of her soy macchiato from JJ Bean. We lost a couple tour people after JJ Bean, I think I might keep the next tour to three cafes. But the tour must continue!	Dry Cappuccino at JJ Bean
Re-Entry Espresso
Arriving at Re-Entry we had some definite need for some more bike parking. Even with a bike rack right outside the cafe we couldn’t find enough parking for our crew. Makes me wish the cafes of Vancouver had something like what Stumptown has in Portland. We met Matt Bishop and I found that he actually uses darkroom timers for timing his shots. What an awesome reuse of technology! You set your dosage to any amount you want with dials and hit the timer button that starts the grinder! The group had dwindled down to five by this time but we had a real nice chat with Matt Bishop and learnt a bit about red espresso for those who aren’t so addicted to caffeine.	Darkroom Timers at Re-entry
Elysian Room
ilan showed us how close Main Street was to the Ontario Bike Route and so we popped over and cruised down the hill to Elysian Room and the conclusion of this tour. A number of us were coffeed out by this point. But we all had a some of that awesome sparkling water they serve from the fountain and we all shared a clover press of the guatemala just to give it a try.	Espresso at Eylsian

Things I learned from this tour

• It is really hard to park 10 bikes on a normal street and we ended up locking them to each other
• Five cafes is much too much and the route was too long to keep everyone together
• If we do another it will certainly be a different route with different cafes
• I am not sure we could get much better weather. . .

Meet Erica Hill, (Erica has moved to Vancouver and now co-authors the blog) I have known Erica for a number of years as we both lived in Portage la Prairie at the same time. Now Portage doesn’t have much of a coffee scene actually there was only one indy cafe called The Grindstone and Erica worked there. I had sinced moved back to Vancouver and she moved to Lethbridge and then Regina, but she always gave me a hard time about my Starbucks rant, amongst other things, I said well there is so much more to coffee than just Starbucks. And while in Vancouver there is more to coffee, but Regina? Not so much.

Erica decided to come to Vancouver to celebrate new years and get a break from the snow of Regina, and we couldn’t deliver the usual balmy west coast weather she wanted, I was able to show her around some of the cafes in Vancouver, and so here are one girls thoughts about coffee in Vancouver. For better or for worse. . .

Drink & Cafe	Drink	Roast (if known)	Comments
49 Parallel Cafe	8 oz Latte (1 shots)	Epic Espresso	The coffee wasn’t bitter, I could drink this coffee with out a lot of milk. 8oz with one shot and I didn’t need a lot of sugar.
Prado Cafe	12 oz latte	49th Organic Espresso	I like how (the cafe) wasn’t as crazy busy or intense, I like the big cups, I can taste the flavour of the coffee more. I don’t like the bitterness of most coffee, but I do like the taste of coffee.
Tony's Cream Puffs	Tony’s Deli and Catering		Cream Puff intermission, hmmm. . . .
Bump and Grind	Clover 12oz	Costa Rica Montes de Oro Honey	It is the only coffee I could drink black, It actually tastes better black than with cream and sugar. . .
Other visits from her trip
Wicked Cafe	12 oz Latte	Black Cat	Creamer, smoother in taste. Love the intelligentsia logo….
Starbucks	12 oz Latte	Starbucks Roast	It was a good amount of coffee flavour and it wasn’t overwhelming… and the sweetness was kinda spicy…like cinnamon or something… It was creamy and the foam was actually kick ass.
Bread Garden	16 oz Latte		My latte never showed up, I had to go up and ask for it. So they finally brought it out like 20 minutes after it was ordered and it tastes awful…it was more like an Americano with foam… and it was super bitter. I added so much milk and sugar and it still tasted disgusting, very watery… Like normal shitty coffee that had been steamed. I just left the whole thing sitting there, never drank any of it.

Conclusion:

I felt like the barista’s were more involved with the customers at the locally owned coffee shops. They make you feel like a friend, at Starbucks they have kind of like a production line set up and you are purposefully separated from the barista.
I like talking to someone and making friends with them…at the ‘minimalist’ coffee shop, the woman there (Amy York) was really nice…they were all actually really nice.
At the locally owned coffee shops I feel like I can get what I want, but at Starbucks I feel as though I have to order only what’s on the menu, pre-made drinks.

And now at home:

Well just pure disappointment at what lattes I could get in Vancouver but will never be able to get here… I LOVED the latte art, it’s so easy to learn and people could take a short course to do it.. and the baristas are just so boring here now…
I wish there was a nice friendly coffee shop here and actually I wish there were more options for coffee shops in Regina…if you don’t want a chain store then you have very few options.

(Editors note: Much like Geoff,  Erica now mail orders her 49th Parallel as she missed that “Good Vancouver Coffee” way to much)

I was lead down Railspur Alley in Granville Island by graphic designer Andrea Rodgers. She wanted to show me Agro Cafe. Railspur Alley is one of the hidden jewels of Granville Island. It wasn’t too busy when I was there, but according to Andrea it can get quite busy on the weekends.

Walking into the open, wood-frame interior gives you a real nice, open feeling. I ordered an americano, it was almost too hot for an afternoon coffee but since this was a new cafe I had to give their americano a try. It was going to be a bit of a wait (busy place, four-shot machine) so we grabbed a seat on the patio and enjoyed the busker across the lane.

My americano arrived and just from the crema on top I knew it was going to be a good cup. Although, just a fair amount of crema on top does not make a great americano. The first sip was bold, but not bitter with a full body and a good aftertaste. A seemingly perfectly pulled off shot. I must return.

I went back a few days later to try their lattes. The 8 oz. free pour had some nice art to it and was sweet to my soul. The key to a great latte is not to over heat the milk but provide adequate foam. It sounds easy but few do it well.

The food was a bit on the pricey side for a student but is worth it, as it is all made in house. I did try the homemade potato soup, which satisfied my afternoon hunger. Weekdays are noticeably quieter than weekends so the environment changes when the place fills up.
Agro is also fair trade, organic and roasts its own beans in small batches upstairs in the cutest little roaster.
The Cafe has Wifi and provides a mellow mood for your enjoyment. I highly enjoyed both visits to Agro and will make it part of any visit to the Island.

Update May 2009 ~ I recently went back to Agro Cafe and found my Americano decent, great crema but some what depleted finish. I still quite enjoyed my Americano and my time in the cafe. I didn’t try the food this time around though.

Faces and Places

Where blog was written: Agro Cafe
Drinks ordered: 12oz. americano & small latte
Discount of own to-go cup: med priced at a small
Barista Knowledge: quite good
Barista’s friendliness: intelligent & swift
Website: www.agrocafe.org

Address: 1363 Railspur Alley, Vancouver, Canada

The Elysian (pronounced E·ly·sian) Room is one of the great homes for coffee lovers in Vancouver. It is home to one of the best traditionally poured cappuccinos in the city.

The Elysian fields in Greek mythology is the final resting place for the gods’ chosen ones. It is not a far stretch to see why Alistair Durie named his cafe after it. The free pour cappuccinos are to die for and the mellow mood of this cafe plays a mix of Zero 7 and Thievery Corporation in the background.

The Cafe is located just behind the Fifth Avenue Cinema, strangely enough on Fifth Ave. It is tucked into a corner of the building and has a very warm feeling once you enter. I love coming to this cafe just before a show to sip a nice americano before attending a flick with a good friend or partner.

Seating is limited as it is barely the size of a one-bedroom apartment, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in quality with 49th Parallel beans. There is also free wireless, but because of size don’t make it your home office.

I felt horrible for guys like Alistair Durie who put time and effort in to perfecting and marketing the Clover, only for it to be sold out to Shultz and the green machine.

What I also love about this cafe is that it is inset from Burrard Street. It fits the mellow mood of the cafe. It could almost be missed if you don’t go looking for it and it contrasts most cafes. I rather like that this cafe is arms distance away from the hubbub, much like the Elysian fields themselves.

Faces and Places

Where blog was written:The Elysian Room
Drinks ordered: Traditional Cappuccino and 12oz Americano
Discount of own to-go cup: large for price of a small
Barista skill: Top Notch
Barista’s friendliness: Cool cucumbers
Website: http://www.elysiancoffee.com

Address: 1778 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver

Walking along Granville there is a lot of sushi joints, clothing stores and stationary shops, but what has excited me most about my frequent Granville strolls is the opening of a new Caffe Artigiano.
I have found the Hornby location all too busy some times and found the surroundings of this new cafe a well kept secret. It was fast, friendly and I dare say the latte was better than the one from the Hornby crowd.
On my second trip to Artigiano, I met Sammy Piccolo who told me that they were looking for a few good barista’s for there new Burnaby store. So if you want to learn from one of the best in the world, here is you opportunity.
He also promised a tour of the 49th Parallel Roastery and I am looking forward to that!

Take two

Almost across the street from Trees Organic Coffee is Take 5 Cafe and they were advertising the $2 latte of any flavour. I have never been a fan of these promotions because I believed it also lowered the quality of the product. But feeling adventuresome, I walked in.
I must admit that is wasn’t the very best latte I have ever had, and I have had far far worse. The point I am trying to make is that if you put effort into a quality product regardless of the quality of your roast, you will notice a vast improvement.
This isn’t a full review of Take Five, but with a good barista and the right knowledge price does not always equal quality.

Best Starbucks in the Neighbourhood?

Starbucks have another piece of spam advertising on the doors of their establishment, proclaiming the best expresso in the neighbourhood. Well on who’s authority? Again this is a smooth marketing campaign for Starbucks, because it is all a matter of opinion. But I think it just looks funny. They are trying really hard to get the perception of quality once had when an automated machine hasn’t improved what a properly trained barista can do. . .

5, 4, 3 . . . and we’re live.

I have started another blog:

blog.robertdall.com

This is more a personal blog that is about my web design and photography skills and anything that isn’t coffee.

In addition to the new blog I have also re-launched a brand new website for web design and photography. This site has been rolling around in the back of my head for years, but it was only until now that I had the technical knowledge to do it. Please check it out.

We now return to your regularly scheduled program.

I am currently doing a practicum at Creative Spirit Communications, it’s been great fun and I am learning a lot. Other than my bosses love of Starbucks it was a great place to learn.
I am also learning about the cafes that grace Granville. I decided to take my friend, Laura Leyshon, out for a coffee at Trees Organic Coffee and try some of their cheesecake that people are talking about.

Let them eat cake

Trees Coffee was started in 1996 and is just one block from the Hastings and Granville Intersection. When you walk in you’re greeted with a great wooden atmosphere and tile floors.
We picked our sinful treats and we both chose the cherry and chocolate cheesecake. We went to pay for our tasty desserts and the total $20 cheesecake bill was really quite shocking. My mind did wonder, “Hey couldn’t I feed an entire village in Africa for the price of this cheese cake?” I felt more guilty for that than for the amount of calories I was consuming. Was the cheesecake the best I have ever tasted? Oh yes. . . .

Walk in the woods?

Laura got herself a latte and I went with the tried and true double shot Americano. Both were quite good and Laura really liked the free pour art she received on her drink.
My Americano was also a nice pull. Since starting my practicum a couple weeks ago, I have gone to Trees on a weekly basis and found that most products were of fair and decent quality.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

The beans are organic, fair trade and are roasted in the back. They roast in the off hours and the beans that sit there are the ones roasted. The only question I have is: Why have so many types of roasted beans sitting there? And how fast do they go through that production? It is nice to see all the different type of beans displayed, but the oxidation of the bean would degrade the quality of the roast. But with that said, I give my full approval to Trees Coffee and its sinful cheesecake.

Faces and Places

Where blog was written: Trees Organic Coffee
Drinks ordered: Medium latte and Americano
Discount of own to-go cup: large for price of a small
Barista Knowledge: dependable
Barista’s Friendliness: sincere
Website: http://www.treescoffee.com/

Address: 450 Granville Street, Vancouver

Geoff Howe arrived from the Island primed and ready to go for our little tour of Vancouver cafes, but with him having to be back in Saskatoon on Monday we had a lot to sample and not much time. What to do ? Well instead of making each cafe its own post I decided to make a table. A coffee table (sorry I have a horrible sense of humour).

But kids, don’t try this at home. After four hours, five cafes, six drinks and 12 shots of espresso, both Geoff and I were more than done. This isn’t something I would suggest or even do again, but as photographers who love coffee it was fun while it lasted. But much like any bender, it has some drawbacks. . . .

Cafe	Geoff	Robert	Notes
	12 oz Latte (2 shots)	12 oz Americano	Robert: Brandi, my favourite barista of all time is back!!! In addition to Brandi being back Prado set the tone for the rest of the day. Geoff: Overall pretty good, the extraction was a little bitter, but it hits the spot. Barista had a pleasant demeanor within the comfortable surroundings.
	12 oz latte (1 shot)	Espresso Macchiato	Robert: Turks, where is the love? Ever since Gisele left months ago, I have rarely been back and now I know why. My Macchiato didn’t have any foam on top. It was more like an 8oz latte, which any Starbucks monkey could have made without the proper training. Geoff: It is not of a calibre I was expecting. If I can make it at home better, then it is sadly lacking. If people are doing this for a living then they should be better at it than I. I come for the experience. The ambience is nice but the coffee lacks some quality
	12oz latte (2 shots)	12oz Cappuccino	Robert: Micro-foam of awesomeness, I have been back to Soma a number of times and enjoyed the cafe each time. Don Wilson usually tends bar on Sunday mornings and is quite the knowledgeable baritsa. Geoff: Perfect temperature, solid latte art.Aftertaste a little strong but overall great experience. Friendly barista, knowledgeable about industry and trends, willing to learn. Soup was fantastic.
	Clover 12oz	Clover 12oz	Robert: We tired the Colombian – Antioquia and barista Mathew Kolehmainen gave us some Kenya – Mwiria to try and true to form the Kenyian was better then the Colombian but also almost twice the price. Thanks for the sampling Matt! Geoff: My first time tasting coffee from a Clover. Pretty neat. A lot of body in taste, almost overwhelming, but it kept me wanting more. It tastes better following a slight cool down. Kenya is my favourite, although we didn’t try Ethiopia. The barista Matt knew of my favourite Saskatoon cafe – Cafe Museo, and it’s barista Jimmy. Small world!
	12 oz Latte	12 oz Latte	Robert: 49th as good as ever, and interesting to chat with barista Colter Jones about the green machine in Seattle, smart guy, I’d enjoy a longer chat one day. Geoff: Really impressed by the feel of the place. The modern simplistic, West Coast style feel. You can really tell they put everything into their craft just from the feel of the place. Meeting the Canadian Barista Champion Colter Jones who happens to be from Saskatoon, my home town. In terms of the coffee I honestly could not appreciate it. I was too buzzed by the morning I was gone. Let this be a warning, Don’t try this at home. . . I definitely want to go back!

• Afterwards we both felt a little like Kramer from Seinfield

Here are some more photo from the rest of the day

Well, my loyal readers, Geoff Howe decided to stay on the Island for a couple more days and so I delayed the Expresso-thon. This is kind of a good thing since I have been out with a cold for the past week.
But I decided to go out and meet a fellow blogger, Peter Van de Reep. He writes Pulling Shots, (The blog has been in Stasis since January) a barista view of the world and works weekends at Wicked Cafe on West 7th and Hemlock. Wicked Cafe was started by Brad Ford back in circa 2004. I had been to Wicked a number of times before, so coming in today was a complete surprise, but not really in the best way.

• Please see the update at the bottom of this review •

Brad Ford is the Canadian distributor for Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea, who starting roasting in 1995 and is completely a direct trade shop even before it was chic to do so.
I first had a Madagascar Vanilla Rooibos tea supplied by Steeps Tea, which helped relieve my ailing cold. Then with Peter at the helm, I had a 12 oz foamy latte with some awesome foam art going on. The quality of their coffee is really on par with the top cafes of Vancouver, and their baristas have the knowledge to back up any questions you might have.

Quality does not equal comfort

When I first entered the cafe, the door was left open, and brought in a lot of noise from the street. When some one went to close it because they were cold they were quite boldly stopped by one of the staff.
I found a seat at the large communal table in the centre of the cafe and had a large chill run down my back from the open door. Peter later told me that behind the counter it is really, really hot from all the machinery and well I sympathized. It didn’t increase the enjoyment of my stay.

I also remember a couple of years ago that most of the seating were comfy chairs. I saw only two chairs (there is actually four), a huge table that could sit many people. I think the comfy chairs suit Wicked a lot more then the large table.

But the thing that bothered me the most about my visit to Wicked was how loud everything was. From the noise of the traffic on the street, to the yanking of the grinder, to the sound of the cash register. There was also a large tube coming from the kitchen into the front area. It looked as if the kitchen was under-construction.

The end of this story is that although there is a lot of room for improvement on Wicked’s ambience the real proof, is in the quality of the roast, the knowledge of the barista, and the quality of the pour. All of which were top of the line.

It is just not a place I would go to study for an exam or read a book.

Update March, 09: I was in Wicked Cafe on Hemlock recently and found the place quieter, the service was quick and coffee was excellent. I found the barista working behind the bar weren’t as noisy either. Noise of a espresso machine and grinders can’t be helped, but what can be helped it how hard you are on your equipment. If you watch the girls at Prado or the boys at 49th Cafe you can still have a conversation over a working cafe. Music was pretty mellow too. 

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Wicked Cafe
Drink ordered: 12 oz latte & 12 oz Rooibos
Discount of own to-go cup: didn’t ask sorry!
Barista Knowledge: Best in Vancouver
Barista’s friendliness: friendly and knowledgeable
Website: www.wickedcafe.ca

Address: 1399 West 7th Ave, Vancouver

When walking into the Victrola Cafe and Roastery Pike Street location you see high ceilings, brick walls, large bay windows that let you look on to the street but also into the roasting area. this cafe has a large open feel to it as has a great subtle feel to it. Thanks to Amy York of Prado for suggesting it.

This is a place where I could get my groove on to throw downs some prose.

As smooth as honey, as sweet as love

After witnessing all that is Starbucks at Pike Place Market and needed some mellow moments of creativity and good coffee. The barista behind the counter was cool, not suggesting any special drink or trying to up sell me on anything. I knew I wasn’t in Starbucks country anymore, this was a good thing. . . . The Americano was smooth to the taste and a delight to experience with not a hint of bitterness. It was one the best decafe’s I have ever had.

I began a conversation with Chris Sharp about Macintosh battery life on the MacBook Pro and then asked “Do you worked here.”

His response was “ya kinda, I own it”

Fair Play

We had a good conversation about fair trade certification of the coffee beans and why direct trade is better then fair trade. I quite enjoyed my conversation with Sharp, I learnt more about the foundation of the direct trade agreements roasters like Sharp have and why it is more important to foster these types of relationship. I certainly agree with Sharp seeing what importers like 49th Parallel has done with the relationships with their farmers which has brought a lot of social conciseness to the coffee scene in Vancouver.

The café is certainly top of my list for Seattle cafés and has some nice soothing music to it. I certainly recommend this cafe to any visitor to Seattle, it is worth a visit.

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Victrola Cafe & Roastery
Drink ordered: Decafe 12 oz Americano
Discount of own to-go cup: You get nothing
Barista knowledge: solid skill
Barista friendlyness: Nice, but not all that talkative
Website: www.victrolacoffee.com

Address: 310 E Pike St. Seattle, USA